At Burnley Borough Council’s full meeting on 15 July 2026, councillors debated a motion on the situation in Kashmir. Reform UK’s councillors voted against it. Here is why.
What the motion asked for
The motion, brought by Independent councillor Sehrish Lone, called on Burnley’s MP and the UK Government to press for an immediate end to the violence in Kashmir, the protection of civilian life, and unrestricted access for humanitarian aid. It was carried with the support of a majority of councillors. Reform UK, Restore Britain and the Conservatives voted against.
Our position
Reform councillors did not vote against because the suffering of people caught up in that conflict does not matter. It does. Many people in Burnley and Padiham have family ties to the region and feel it deeply, and no one on the Reform benches is indifferent to that.
We voted against because a borough council has no power over foreign policy, and passing a motion changes nothing on the ground thousands of miles away. What a borough council does control is the day job that residents actually elected us to do: bins, roads, planning, regeneration, and the council tax people pay.
As Cllr Gavin Theaker, deputy leader of the Reform group, put it in the chamber: “Burnley Council exists to serve the borough of Burnley, not involve itself in international disputes.”
Keeping the focus local
This is a consistent principle, not a comment on any one conflict. The council’s time, and residents’ money, is limited. Every hour spent debating events the council cannot affect is an hour not spent on the potholes, the fly-tipping, the planning decisions and the services that residents raise with us every week.
Reform councillors will keep pushing for Burnley Council to concentrate on Burnley. That is the job, and it is where we will keep our focus.
You can watch each Reform councillor make the case in their own words: Cllr Gavin Theaker, Cllr Liam Thomson and Cllr Chris Weekes.